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Category: Lady Gaga

  • Lady Gaga Talks To Oprah About PTSD, Working Through Trauma & Self-Harm

    Lady Gaga Talks To Oprah About PTSD, Working Through Trauma & Self-Harm

    “I have PTSD. I have chronic pain. Neuropathic pain trauma response is a weekly part of my life. I’m on medication; I have several doctors. This is how I survive,” Gaga said.

    Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey dove deep into mental health, healing from deep-rooted trauma and the benefits of getting treatment on a recent episode of Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations podcast. The power duo have both been outspoken mental health advocates throughout their careers.

    Living With Trauma

    The Bad Romance singer has long been a champion of inclusivity and owning your truth and her sitdown with her mogul hero was exceptionally open and honest. The founder of the Born This Way Foundation discussed her past trauma and how she manages it.

    “I have PTSD. I have chronic pain. Neuropathic pain trauma response is a weekly part of my life. I’m on medication; I have several doctors. This is how I survive,” Gaga said. “I would also beckon to anyone to try, when they feel ready, to ask for help. And I would beckon to others that if they see someone suffering, to approach them and say, ‘Hey, I see you. I see that you’re suffering, and I’m here. Tell me your story.’”

    Then the singer revealed that she self-injured for a number of years in the hopes of helping another person who self-harm see that they’re are not alone.

    “I was a cutter for a long time, and the only way that I was able to stop cutting and self-harming myself was to realize that what I was doing was trying to show people that I was in pain instead of telling them and asking for help. When I realized that telling someone, ‘Hey, I am having an urge to hurt myself,’ that defused it. I then had someone next to me saying, ‘You don’t have to show me. Just tell me: What are you feeling right now?’ And then I could just tell my story.”

    Using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy To Heal

    The Grammy award-winning singer no longer self-harms – she also clarified that her admission is not meant to glamorize it any way.

    “One thing that I would suggest to people who struggle with trauma response or self-harm issues or suicidal ideation is actually ice. If you put your hands in a bowl of ice-cold water, it shocks the nervous system, and it brings you back to reality.”

    Gaga went on to rave about her experience with dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). With DBT, patients are encouraged to explore the emotions surrounding their trauma so they begin the path to accceptance.  

    “I think that DBT is a wonderful, wonderful way to deal with mental health issues,” Gaga pined. “It’s a really strong way of learning how to live, and it’s a guide to understanding your emotions.” And for Gaga understanding and acceptance are important keys to life.

    “I believe life is asking of us to accept the challenge. Accept the challenge of kindness. It’s hard in a world the way that we are; we have a very, very grave history. We’re in trouble, and we have been before. But I think life asks us amid these challenges, this hatred, this tragedy, this famine, this war, this cruelty: Can you be kind and can you survive?”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Lady Gaga’s Mother Discusses Singer’s Childhood Mental Health

    Lady Gaga’s Mother Discusses Singer’s Childhood Mental Health

    “What I didn’t realize because I wasn’t prepared, was how to really deal with it. When I was growing up, times were different.”

    With her incredible success, Lady Gaga has used her powerful platform to speak out about mental health with her Born This Way Foundation.

    Now, her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, spoke with CBS This Morning about how parents can deal with children that are struggling with their mental health. 

    Throughout her life, Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, has struggled with depression, anxiety and PTSD.

    “As a parent, I wasn’t prepared to really address this,” Cynthia explains. “Stefani was very unique, and that wasn’t always appreciated by her peers, and as a result, she went through a lot of difficult times – humiliated, taunted, isolated.”

    My Generation Was Told To Suck It Up

    Upon entering middle school, Germanotta saw her daughter go from “a very happy and aspirational young girl to somebody that started to question her self-worth, to have doubts about herself. What I didn’t realize because I wasn’t prepared, was how to really deal with it. When I was growing up, times were different. The way that we would deal with things was what we learned. I relied on the generational grit of just sucking it up and getting on with it.”

    Once she saw her daughter clearly struggling, Cynthia says, “It’s very hard to know what to do. The profound impact that it can have (on families). It basically turns the focus of everything onto that one individual. Families feel conflicted about it, they don’t really understand it, it causes conflict, and a lot of stress within the families. It can also cause feelings of guilt and helplessness, not knowing how to help my daughter. What I’ve learned is that no family is immune to this.”

    Parents: Listen To Your Children, Share Your Own Struggles

    For families that are struggling with troubled teens, Germanotta recommended that parents simply listen.  

    “What I learned from my daughter is to listen and validate her feelings. I think as parents our natural instinct is to go into problem-solving mode, when in fact they really just want us to take them seriously and understand what they’re saying.” 

    While a lot of troubled youth don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents about their struggles out of “fear of being judged,” Germanotta adds that “as parents we don’t talk about our own struggles. I encourage parents to be vulnerable. Talk about your current and past struggles. The biggest thing is to talk to them.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com